Air cleaner



March 31, 1931. c. A. WINSLOW ET AL AIR CLEANER- 2 Shets-Shee FiledSept. 25, 1924 March 31, 1931. c. A. WINSLOW ET AL AIR CLEANER FiledSept. 25, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 E. Jffall,

Patented Mar. 31, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHARLES A. WINSLOW,OF VALLEJO, AN D ELBERT J. HALL, OF BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA AIR CLEANERApplication filed September 25, 1924. Serial No. 739,961.

The object of this invention is to eliminate dust and other foreignmatter from the air supplied to the carbureter of an internal combustionengine, the intake of an air compressor, etc., and to supply such air ata pressure generally exceeding normal atmospheric pressure, theseoperations being automatically performed without detracting from thepower of the engine, compressor, etc.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent and suggest themselves asthe nature of the invention is understood.

While the drawings illustrate an embodiment of the invention it is to beunderstood that in adapting the same to meet different conditions andrequirements, various changes in the form, proportion and minor detailsof construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit ofthe invention.

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming a part of theapplication:

Figure 1 is a sectional view taken on a vertical plane extendingcentrallythrough an air cleaner embodying our invention,

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the horizontal plane indicated bythe line 2-2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction indicated by thearrows,

Figured is a sectional view taken on the horizontal plane indicated bythe line 3-3 of Figure 1, looldng in the direction indicated by thearrows,

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on a vertical lane extendingcentrally through a modi ed form of the air cleaner,

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the horizontal plane indicated bythe line 5-5 of Figure 4, looking in the direction indicated by thearrows,

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on the vertical plane extendingcentrally through a further modified form of the air cleaner,

Figure 7 is a similar view of a still further modified form of the aircleaner, and

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken on the horizontal plane indicated bythe line 8-8 of Fi re 7, looking in the direction indicated y thearrows.

Referring to the drawings by reference numerals, 1 designates the casingof the air cleaner. The casing 1 has a frustro conical lateral wall 1,an upper end wall 2 which is preferably fiat, and a lower end wall 3which is preferably of conical formation and which extends into thecasing. The diameter of the base of the conical wall 3 is less than thediameter of the lower end of the lateral wall 1. A flange 4, whichextends from the base of the conical wall 3 to the lateral wall 1,closes the space between the base of the conical wall and the lower endof the lateral wall and provides in conjunction with said walls a troughinto which the dust is directed by said walls as it is separated fromthe air passing throughthe casing 1. Near its upper end the casing 1 isprovided with a tangentially arranged air inlet 6 and near its lower endwith a tangentially arranged dust outlet 7. An axially arranged cleanair outlet pipe 8 passes through the upper wall 2 and has its lower endflared as at 9 and arranged in close proximity to the apex of theconical wall 3. An air intake pipe 10 has its discharge end arranged incommunication with the air inlet 6, it extends forwardly from the casing1, and it preferably has its forward endflared as at 11. A nipple 12communicates'with the dust outlet 7 and extends rearwardly from thecasing 1, and 1t and the pipe 10 may be secured to the lateral wall 1 inany suitable manner.

In practice, the discharge end of the clean air outlet pipe 8 is coupledto the air intake of the carburetor of a hydro-carbon englne, and theintake end ll of the air supply pipe 10 may if desired be arrangedadjacent the cooling fan of the engine'so as to enable the fan to inducea rearwardly traveling current of air in the pipe 10'. If the vehicle incon- 90 necti-on with which the air cleaner is to be used ordinarilytravels at a high rate, it will a not be necessary to position theintake end of the pipe 10 adjacent the fan for the reason that thevelocity of the vehicle will induce the desired current of air in thepipe 10. Adjacent the casing 1, the pipe 10 is reduced in *diameter sothat the current of air will reach its highest velocity just previouslyto its discharge into the casing 1. Some of the an me entering thecasing 1 passes out through the ures 1, 2 and 3, in that the dust outlet7 is.

dust outlet 7 and some out through the clean air outlet pipe 8. Duringits passage through the casing 1, the air travels about the verticalaxis of the casing 1, and due thereto any dust carried by the air willbe separated therefrom by centrifugal force. The dust separated from theair will be directed into the trough 5 by the lateral wall 1 and by theconical wall 3, and the air passing out through the outlet 7 will carrythe dust with it. If desired a tube may be connected to the nipple 12 tocarry this air and dust to any suitable point away from the engine wherethe air pressure is less than it is at the air intake of the device Thecone 3 prevents the formation of a vortex and eddies in the whirlingcolumn of air in the casing with the result that the most efli cientcleaning results are attained. Due to the fact that the dust outletopens to the atmosphere, and as the air inlet faces the direction of themotion of the vehicle and the outlet faces in the reverse direction, alower pressure will be present at the outlet than at the inlet while thevehicle is in motion. The device will not therefore cease to functionwhen the throttle to the engine is closed, as for instance whendescending a steep grade with the result that as soon as the throttle isagain opened clean air will be drawn.into the carburetor. The whirlingcolumn of air passing through thecasing 1 reaches its highest velocityat the intake end 9 of the pipe 8, and due thereto the separation ofdust from the air is at maximum at the intake end of this pipe. Thesuction created in the pipe 8 by the internal combustion engine willdraw air into the pipe 8 from the center or cleanest portion of thewhirling column of air passing through the casing 1. Due to the factthat the air passing through the pipe 8 travels in a direction reverseto that in which the column of the air passes through the casing 1, anydust carried by the air passing into the pipe 8 will be precipitatedupon the conical wall 3 and be directed thereby into the trough 5; Dueto the induced draft in the pipe 10 and the suction created in the pipe8 by the engine, and as the capacity of the pipe 10 is greater than thatof the pipe 8, more air will enter the casing 1 than is drawn therefromby the engine, with the result that there will be sufficient pressureinthe casing 1 to positively drive the dust out through the outlet 7 andprevent any part thereof from being drawn into the pipe 8. l i

The de ice shown in Figures 4 and'5 differs primarily from the deviceshown in Figaxially arranged with respect to the casing 1. The loweredge of a cone 3 is spaced from the casingl in order to permit the dustseparated from the air to pass out through the outlet 7. The outlet 7 ais formed in the apex of an inverted conical bottom 13 secured tothe'lower end of the casing 1, and a nipple 12" is secured to the bottom13 about the dust outlet 7". The cone 3 is supported within the casing 1by means of brackets 14.

The device shown in Figure 6 is provided with a suction nozzle 15 whichhas a rearwardly and vertically disposed outlet 16 and which is securedto the bottom wall 13 about the dust outlet 7. The air traveling by thenozzle 15 creates a suction within the nozzle which draws the dust outof the casing 1 together with the air that passes by the intake end 9 ofthe pipe 8. In this device, the air intake pipe 10 is not arranged topermit air to be forced therein but is so arranged that the air is takenfrom a point above the engine and drawn therein by the suction inducedin the pipe 8 and the nozzle 15.

In Figures 7 and 8 there is shown a still further modified form of thedevice, and inthis device the clean air outlet pipe 8 passes downwardlythrough the apex of the conical stricting a portion of a pipe 20 and byextending a portion 21 of the lateral wall 1 into saidrestrictedportion. The pipe 20 is tangentially arranged with respect to the easing1 and is provided "with a flared inlet end 22 which may be arranged topermit the cooling fan of the hydro-carbon engine or the velocity of thevehicle to force air therein. If desired the exhaust from the engine maybe directed through the pipe 20.

The several devices described may be used as stated for internalcombustion engines and they may also be used for air compressors or inconnection with any device which requires a supply of clean air. Whennot used in connection with an internal combustion engine, any suitablemeans may be employed to induce a current of air in the pipes 10 and 21or past the nozzle 15.

From the foregoing descriptiomtaken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, that the dust laden air enters the casing at the smaller endthereof, that the dust discharges from the casing at'the larger endthereof, and that the' clean air for the hydro-carbon engine is takenfrom the center and cleanest part or the whirling column of air withinthe casing. It will also be seen that the air enters the casing at avelocity which is either caused by the suction of the engine or bypresand that this motion of the air increases gradually as it travelsfrom. the smaller to the larger end of the casing, with the result thatl the dust and other impurities separated from R casing through the dustoutlet thereof, and\ this gradual increase in the whirling orcentrifugal motion of the air is caused by the tapered formation of thelateral wall of the casing, the locationof the cone within the casingand the locatlon of apart of the clean air outlet pipe within thecasing.

What is claimed is 1. An air cleaner comprising a casing of frustoconical formation, said casing being provided near its smaller end withan air intake and near its larger end with a dust outlet, a conearranged within the casing and having a base diameter less than thediameter I 20 of the larger end of the casing, a flange extending fromthe base of the cone to the casing, and a clean air outlet pipe passinginto the casing from one end thereof.

2. An air cleaner, comprising a frusto conical casing having its smallerend at the top, and formed with atangential inlet, the lower end beingclosed with a conical member except for an annular outlet, open to theatmosphere about the conical member, and a clean air outlet axiall disosed in said casing above said conica me er.

In testimony where ii-weaflix our signatures' CHARLJES A: WINSLOW.ELBERT J. a

the air will be positively discharged from the

